The Beach
by Kasper ze Chemist
Summary: The Squint Squad goes to Hodgins' beach house in New Jersey, with interesting results.  Sorta sequel to The Picnic
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The week was slow; Booth hadn't caught any new cases and he spent most of the time in his office tossing a baseball while staring at the papers on his desk. Brennan was the same, for the most part. She had intended on working on cases from Limbo but was shooed away by Zach who had been systematically doing everything. She ended up holing herself up in her office to start research for her next book for whenever she got around to writing again. Not that she was complaining though; her feet really enjoyed the break.

It was early Friday, a beautiful warm and sunny June day when he strode into the Jeffersonian with his son in tow. Brennan was in her office, head resting back on the chair concentrating on getting some ideas, when she felt little arms wrapped around her legs. She opened her eyes to find Parker standing there.

"Well Parker, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Daddy says that we and the squints are going to da beach," he replied with a big grin that would certainly rival his father's. Booth entered the office wearing a suit, with a tie hanging loosely around his neck.

"Really, because I thought that I had to work today," she replied with a smile.

"No you aren't Brennan," said Angela. She and Hodgins now stood in the doorway looking in. "Today we are all going to play hooky and drive up to Jack's beach house in Jersey. You are not going to resist or complain. You are going to have fun, get a tan, and live a little." Booth smiled when Angela looked over at him.

"Yeah Tempe. Daddy says we are going on an adventure!" He quickly jumped into her lap. "Please please please come!" Brennan looked up at everyone. She had no choice. They went for a low blow to by bringing in a child. She sighed before turning off the computer.

"Fine I'll go, but how do we leave without Cam…you know, getting on our chests." Angela and Hodgins started laughing and Booth covered his eyes.

"First off, Zach is working on that now. Second, you keep someone off your back." He placed his arm around her waist, a gesture that she noticed but let slip. Zach was scribbling something on a piece of paper and then gave Angela thumbs up.

"Come on. Let's get outta here!"

They reached the parking lot without being noticed. Brennan turned to Booth. "If we are going to the beach, why is everyone dressed for work?"

"Well Bones, we certainly couldn't walk in wearing bathing suits and such." He pulled the tie completely away from his neck and loosened the top buttons. "We are such great actors if I may say so."

"Yeah Bren. We're going to Booth's place where we have everything waiting," replied Angela. "We'll leave our cars there and only take Booth's since he can fit everyone."

"I call grenade!" shouted Brennan quickly and with a proud smile.

"Oh come on Bones. It's shotgun. Everyone knows to call shotgun!"

"Well sorry. We let's hit the asphalt." She started laughing. "It was a joke, you know directed at me. I know its pavement." Everyone wore dull expressions, not laughing at her joke. With a defeated tone," Let's hit the road."

It took a half hour for everyone to change and load up the car. Angela had picked out a hot new bikini for Brennan, something to surprise a certain FBI agent when the time came. The car was loaded with the cooler, towels, umbrellas; heck enough things to live on a beach for a week. Parker, in his booster seat, sat next to Angela, and behind them were Zach and Hodgins. Brennan was given front seat; Booth preferred her to the other squints, though Parker seemed to have fun with Angela too.

"Ladies and gentleman this is Special Agent Seeley Booth speaking. Today we are going to drive up to the Great State of New Jersey. The ride may be long and boring, but if you complain, it will be long and boring as you walk to your destination. My co-pilot Dr. Temperance Brennan will be running the music selections from my iPod and she will be taking requests. So sit back, keep your mouth shut, and enjoy the ride.

Back at the Jeffersonian, Cam was just emerging from her office to ask Angela about something when she found an empty work area. In fact, it was devoid of her best team. Even the seeming work-a-holic Brennan was missing. She stood on the platform, hands on hips, wondering where everyone had gone. Surely they were working; it's what they do every day. Suddenly a bright colored paper caught her attention. She immediately noticed the untidy scrawl of Zach on the paper. "Dr. Saroyan, We are all home sick with Salmonella infections and will return in a few days. We are sorry for the inconvenience." She sighed and ripped the letter up.

"If they think that they can get away that easily, they got another thing coming," she said to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

**  
Sorry for the delay in posting. I would also like to apologize for OOCness and any other problems there may be with that. Thanks for reading!**

**Chapter 2**

"I swear that if I hear one more squinty word the rest of the journey in this moving metal box, I will kick you right out of the moving metal box. Do you hear me?" Booth was sick of the talk about crashing cars and injuries sustained during high speed collisions.

"Sorry Agent Booth," apologizing Zach in a ashamed tone. Booth continued driving without acknowledging the young doctor. They had only been driving for a half hour before the talk started and it instantly got on Booth's nerves.

"Booth, a 7-11. I want a Slurpee. Please?" whined Brennan.

Booth looked at her with a sideways glance. "You're serious?" She nodded with a smile. "Okay then." Booth pulled the vehicle into the parking lot.

"Hey twenty miles ago you wouldn't let me stop to see a garage sale flyer, but you'll stop to get a Slurpee?" questioned Zach.

"Quiet man," said Jack. "Don't you realize? He'll do anything for his lover Dr. Brennan." At those words, both Booth and Brennan whipped their heads around fast to glare at Hodgins and ended up bumping heads, hard.

"Ouch!" shouted Brennan.

"Son of a…that hurt!" Angela and Parker were doing their best to not laugh but all efforts were futile. They burst out laughing and Booth and Brennan left the car in an angry huff.

"Sorry," they apologized in unison. Booth smiled and held the door open for her as they walked into the store. "Well Bones, what flavor Slurpee do you want?"

"Banana. No, Pina Colada. Banana. I can't decide."

Booth couldn't help but to laugh. Temperance Brennan, world-renowned forensic anthropologist and author couldn't decide on a flavor of Slurpee. "Pick on Bones and I'll get the other for me." She smiled and made herself a cup, along with one for each of the Squints. As they were walking back to the car, Brennan gasped.

"Booth, you have a huge bruise on the side of your face!" She poked it, causing him to jump back in pain.

"Ow Bones."

"Stop being a baby Booth. Come here." She took her Slurpee from the cardboard holder and placed on his face.

"Cold, cold, cold," he whined. "Okay, that feels good now."

"See what happens when you stop whining?" Brennan removed the drink. "Now let's go." They returned to the car and Brennan passed out the drinks.

"Eww. I don't like cherry," voiced Zach from the back. Booth ignored Zach and started the car again.

"This pina colada is good," commented Brennan.

"Well I'm glad that you made the decision you did. It only took five minutes."

"Sorry, but I like banana too." She extended her hand outward signaling that she wanted a sip.

Booth rounded everyone up in the car after making a quick rest stop on the border of New Jersey. They had been traveling for fifteen minutes when Zach opened his mouth.

"Agent Booth, I have to go to the bathroom." Booth looked up in the rearview mirror.

"Are you kidding me? We just stopped."

"Yes, but those are public restrooms, at a rest stop for truckers. Did you happen to notice the condition of the lavatories?"

"Yes I did, but I bit the bullet and went because I had to. Now you are going to have to wait until we arrive at our destination." Zach mumbled something under his breath that Booth didn't notice.

Another ten minutes passed before Zach whined again. "Agent Booth, please. I really have to go."

"Zach, a half hour. Just wait thirty freakin' minutes!"

"Agent Booth, do you have a clue as to what can happen for holding it in for too long?"

"No and I don't really care."

"Then I'll go here in the car." Booth violently jerked the wheel to the side of the road.

"Hey man, I want to live to get to the beach house," shouted Hodgins. Zach jumped out of the car and literally ran to the tree line holding himself. Zach returned to the car with a satisfied smile in his face.

Booth, however, turned around in the seat to face the Squints. "You Squints are more annoying when I take you out of the lab. Again I say, if you don't want to walk the rest of the way then shut up. Any questions? No? Good."

Brennan looked over at Booth with a curious look on her face. "Booth, there's no reason to be so harsh. Lighten up a little."

Booth chuckled. "Funny. You telling me to loosen up." Booth through his head back and laughed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, I've kinda let this story go. Upon others, shall I say urging, I've decided to continue this story. Keep a lookout for further updates, which I hope to have somewhat regularly.  
**

**Chapter 3**

Finally at just after noon, Booth pulled up to the beach house. Located right near Point Pleasant Beach, the building stood out from its neighbors. It was a large building with two floors, a pool and hot tub in the backyard it was enough to make anyone envious.

"Jeez Hodgie, why aren't we living here?" questioned Angela in awe.

"Because I hate the beach," he replied, eagerly jumping out of the car to stretch.

"Then why are you here?"

"Because you love the beach baby, and I would do anything for you."

"Aww." Angela kissed him on the cheek, but Hodgins scooped her up and buried his face into her.

"Oh please you two," snorted Booth. "Help me carry this stuff inside and then you two take a room." Hodgins ignored Booth and proceeded inside with Angela in tow.

"Zach, help me out!" cried Parker from his car seat. Zach did and together they went into the house.

Booth threw his hands up in disgust. "Fine, I'll carry everything inside by myself!" And that he did. Brennan however was curious as to why Booth was in such a bad mood. She watched him carry all the bags and stuff inside, occasionally turning his head to see what Parker and Zach were doing. He took the last of the bags in and returned outside and began walking along the beach. The curious scientist in her made her follow him. She stayed close to the beach houses trying to remain inconspicuous among the people. Finally he turned onto the docks. He walked to the edge and stood, staring out into the open sea.

Brennan moved closer and closer until she made to the dock without him noticing. She stepped up beside him and stuck her hands into the short pockets of the shorts she was wearing.

"Whaddya want Bones?" he asked in a tired voice.

"Why are you so snappy all of a sudden? This morning you were so happy and now you are…you know."

"Snippy, Bones. You get snippy with someone. And no I'm not snippy, I'm just tired."

"Oh. Why?"

"You are very curious aren't you? Well the nature of my problems is none of your business."

"Okay. I just thought that since we were you know, partners, that we should share everything."

Booth chuckled. "No Bones it's not important. Just drop it."

"Sharing the bed with someone?" she inquired with a giggle.

"What has gotten into you today?" he asked, changing the subject. "You're so laid back."

"Laid-back? Maybe. I had a talk with Angela before and she said that I should live a little. So I've tried it and I don't see the big deal to be honest."

"Hmm, yeah you're too verbose in a sense." Brennan gave him a light tap to which he feigned injury. "Oww. You know, if you're gonna hurt me you can at least tend to my wounds. Can I have a kiss on my boo-boo?" he asked in a childish voice.

Seeing no harm, she grabbed his arm and kiss him in the same spot she hit him. As her lips made contact with his skin, Booth could feel a tingling sensation that ran the length of him down to the knees. "Better?" she questioned as she looked up at him.

"Eh, um." Booth's response was cut short as they heard a shout from one of the guys playing football on the beach.

"Heads up!" shouted the man. Brennan ducked, but Booth was to slow and got a football to the side of his head. He staggered backwards and fell into the water with a large splash.

"Booth!" shouted Brennan as she followed him in. Luckily the dock wasn't far above the water and the water wasn't too shallow. She reached for Booth as he surfaced and grabbed him by the scruff of his t-shirt.

"Ow," he cried as he rubbed it.

"Worry about it later. Let's just get out of the water." Together they moved to get out of the water. "Let me see your head." Booth bent down and showed her the back of his head. "No marks. It'll probably just hurt for a while." Together they walked back to the beach house ignoring the calls from the man who through the football. They walked inside, dripping wet, which didn't go, unnoticed by Angela.

"If you two are going to go swimming together, you should at least take off your clothes," she said with a knowing smirk.

Brennan simply ignored her. "Which room is mine?"

"Well see, there's a problem," called Hodgins from the kitchen. "There are three bedrooms and Zach has to have his own room because he's Zach and he's afraid of…. well I forget but to avoid any problems he's got to have his own room. And Angela and I are sharing for obvious reasons so…"

"I'll take the couch," shouted Booth and Brennan in unison.


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow thanks for the reviews and alerts on this story! This is a fun one to write, especially since this actually corresponds to the time frame of now. Thanks!  
**

**Chapter 4**

Twenty minutes. That's how long they argued over the couch. Angela kept remarking how she never heard anyone beg for the couch to sleep on. Hodgins paced and threw up his arms every so often, Zach played with a thread on the couch, and Parker slept on Angela's lap.

"Booth, you have Parker. Sleep with him the couch is fine with me."

"You know what, fine. I'll take the bed, but when you are complaining about a backache you won't get a massage with these fingers." Booth emphasized his point with the wiggling of his fingers causing Brennan to break out into a smile.

"Booth I fall asleep at my desk, I think I can handle a couch."

Booth held up his hands. "Fine Bones. Whatever floats your boat. Now I'm going to take my son to the beach."

"But a boat staying afloat has to do with the—"

Booth was already in the kitchen. "It's a figure of speech Bones!"

Everyone decided on going to the beach for some afternoon sun. With all belongings in hand, they traversed the scorching hot sand to the safe swimming area that Zach had so enthusiastically demanded to go to. Despite it being a beautiful summer day, the beach was quite empty.

"Wow I thought there would be more people here," commented Angela as she helped set up the umbrella and towels.

"Most people are probably at work, like we should be," replied Brennan.

"Angela, are you complaining? No? Good. And Bones, it's called playing hooky. Learn to live a little once in a while." Then silently he continued to remove his shirt, apply some sunscreen and lay down to read a book. Brennan and Angela looked at him in disgust.

"What's his problem?" whispered Angela as she removed her iPod from a bag.

"Don't know, don't really care," replied Brennan. She too took out her iPod and lay down in the sun.

Parker ran to his father, standing in front of him nervous and unsure of his mood after his earlier outburst. "Daddy," he said tentatively.

"Yes Parker," replied Booth looking up from his book.

"Zach and Jack wanna show me how to build the awesomest sand castle. Can I go with them?"

"Sure bub. Just keep your hat on and don't leave them, okay?"

"'Kay Daddy." He bent down to kiss his father on the cheek. "Love you Daddy." Booth smiled and playfully shooed his son away. He watched Parker grab Zach's hand as they moved to an area with fewer people. Booth had just picked up his book when he noticed Brennan staring at him.

"What?"

She smiled. "You go from total jerk to loving father. It's...cute?"

"Me? Cute? No, I think there are better adjectives to describe this." He gestured to his body. Brennan pretended to look him over with confused look on her face.

"Maybe, I'd have to get my thesaurus and get a better word for wimpy, weak, feeble, jerk…the list goes on."

Booth feigned hurt. "Ouch Bones, that's not really nice."

"Life sucks."

"Now look who has the attitude problem?" teased Booth.

"Me," said Angela. "I'm trying to relax. I listen to enough of you bickering at the lab. Don't bring it to one of my favorite places please. If you're going to argue, go elsewhere. I was here first."

"Sorry Ange we'll behave," replied Brennan while sending Booth a stern look. He rolled his eyes and returned to the novel in his hand.

The group was quiet after the lecture from Angela until Zach returned with Parker. Parker got on his knees and began talking excitedly.

"Daddy! We builded the hugest sandcastle ever! It had windows and three levels and there was room for you and mommy and Dr. Brennan!" Booth smiled as he listened to every word that Parker said. Brennan looked up and noticed how Booth was instantly exited to see what Parker had to say. She knew how great a dad he was to Parker and how well he handled children.

"Hey everyone, it's getting closer to dinner. What do you say we head back for some barbeque?" questioned Booth.

….

Back at the beach house, smoke rose to the sky as Booth flipped the burgers and other meats on the grill. Hodgins walked around, lighting torches to prevent bugs from showing up as the sun was moving lower in the sky.

"Burgers will be ready in five," shouted Booth. "Come get them while they are hot!" As people lined up with appropriate buns in hand, Booth dished things out accordingly. When everyone was served, they sat down at the picnic table and continued chatting.

"Hey guys, I figured that after dinner we could go play Frisbee. I got a new one that lights up in the dark," suggested Hodgins. Everyone nodded in agreement.

When dinner was finished and paper goods were disposed of, they made their way back onto the beach. Zach had smuggled a telescope into the car and was off showing Parker some of the stars leaving the others to toss the Frisbee.

"Bren and Booth, fight for it!" shouted Angela.

"Angela, we're not going to fight over a piece of plastic," warned Brennan.

Booth stood next to her. "What, are you chicken Bones?" He started to cluck like a chicken. "Afraid you'll lose?" She just looked at him and practically dared him to do something.

"Throw the Frisbee Ange." The lit disk was bright in the setting sun and both of them took off after it. Booth's longer strides helped him get ahead but the nimble Brennan was able to keep up with him. Booth was reaching up for the disk but Brennan was able to piggyback over him to get the height she needed to grab it before him. She smiled triumphantly as she came down, but on the landing she rolled her ankle and collapsed to the sand.

"Ow, ow, ow, oh my god, ow, ow, ow, ow," she shouted through gritted teeth. Booth was immediately at her side.

"Don't move Bones," he warned. He took out his cell phone to use as a light on her ankle. He was that it was swollen and getting bigger. Hodgins and Angela caught up. "Jack, help me get her up. She needs to get to a hospital."

…

At the hospital, Booth sat beside Brennan as they waited to see a doctor. Hodgins, Angela, and Zach took Parker to the cafeteria to get a few drinks in an attempt to relieve the boredom. Brennan sat on the bed with her leg elevated as she looked past the curtain at the hustle and the bustle of the hospital. It was nine at night, yet the ER was filled with various maladies. Brennan had gone for X-rays an hour earlier and a nurse had given her painkillers, but they hadn't been visited recently. Booth sat in a chair beside her bed, leaning his arm against the bed. He was getting agitated due to the long wait.

He felt a poke on his shoulder and lazily turned around to find Brennan leaning forward.

"Bones, what the hell are you doing?" he asked tiredly.

"I'm so bored," she drawled out. "How long does it take?"

"Obviously a few hours." He sighed and switched arms to lean on. "Though I really wish the nurse would give me some of those meds you are on."

Just then, a young doctor appeared in front of the curtain, head bowed and perusing a chart. He looked up and smiled. "Ah, Temperance Brennan?" Brennan nodded. "I'm Doctor Geiger." He stepped forward and shook her head. He then turned to Booth. "And you are…"

"Special Agent Seeley Booth, her partner." The men shook hands while staring each other down. "Well Ms. Brennan."

"Doctor," corrected Booth and Brennan at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled.

"Okay then," said Geiger. "Doctor Brennan. There is no break, however there is a bad sprain. We'll wrap it and you should be fine in a week, but until then, you'll need to keep off of your feet."

"Oh no!" shouted Brennan. "I'm on vacation with my friends."

"Sorry Doctor Brennan." Geiger turned to Booth. "She'll need bed rest."

"Hey buddy, you can tell me all you want, but this is the most stubborn woman in the history of the earth."

…

The doctor made Brennan promise that she would stay off her feet for the next week. However, unbeknownst to the doctor, she was crossing her fingers behind her back.

"You do know how juvenile crossing the fingers is right?" questioned Booth as he assisted her out of the ER.

"Yeah well Parker has taught me a few tricks. You really should listen to kids sometimes. As uncontrollable as they may be, they possess a lot of knowledge and insight on the world that we as adults tend to miss."

"Right Bones, let's just get you into bed." Brennan looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh come on, did those drugs make you perverted or something?" Brennan giggled as she met the others in the car.

As Booth started the car to return to the beach house he shook his head at the eventful first day they had. He wondered what could go wrong next.


	5. Chapter 5

Because of the response, I've decided to finish the story. I have no clue where I was taking this, so bear with me as I try to finish it… and pardon the possibly terrible writing. I don't do so well where I'm not sure where I want it to go. Chapter 5

The next morning was hectic everyone ran around eating breakfast and getting ready to spend the afternoon at the beach. Because the weather called for a chance of thunderstorms, they decided to spend the day soaking in the sun and the next day at the boardwalk with more favorable weather. Angela and Booth packed a cooler filled with drinks and sandwiches for lunch as Hodgins and Zack argued over the best way to pile everything on a wagon to drag through the sand.

Booth finished in the kitchen and walked down the hall to make sure that Parker was finished getting ready. On the way to the bathroom he passed the open door to Brennan's room. She was laying on the bed, wearing a pair of sweatpants and T-shirt.

"Bones! We're going to be leaving for the beach really soon and you haven't gotten dressed yet!"

She hardly looked up from the notebook she was reading. "I'm well aware of that Booth. I was just going to spend the day inside. My ankle isn't cooperating. Besides with the nice weather and the silence, I figured that I would start brainstorming for my novel. You, bestsellers don't just write themselves."

"I know Bones. But why can't you do that on the beach. You know, soak in the rays, enjoy being on a mini vacation…"

"I can do it inside, and away from the sand that will most likely get lodged in the aircast. Besides, if it was going to storm, I wouldn't be able to move too fast if we had to seek shelter." She sat up straighter against the headboard. "Parker'll be there and he'll want to spend time with you. Take advantage of that."

Booth shook his head, now agitated. "Yes Bones, he wants to spend time with me, but he also wants to spend time around you. Around the woman that he hears about when I discuss the miniscule amount of work I do. He wants to know his father's friends. He's met you before, it's not like he's a stranger."

Their argument was interrupted by the sound of bare feet running down the hallway. "Daddy, I put my sunblock on!" Booth sent a stern glance towards Brennan before he bent down to his son's level.

"You missed a spot right there." Booth poked him in the stomach and Parker giggled. "Go wait in the other room. I'll be right there." Booth waited for him to leave, before standing to face Brennan. "Bones, it's stupid for you to sit here by yourself."

"Booth, stop worrying about me. I'm fine. Now please, go have fun." Booth bit his tongue and told himself that he wouldn't say anything else. Brennan, finally in silence, returned to the notebook in her hand. That was until Angela appeared in the doorway. Angered now at the intrusions onto her time, she forcefully closed the notebook to try and stand. She opened her mouth to speak, but Angela raised her hand to stop her.

"I'm not here to try to get you to come with us. Booth already tried. I was just saying that you should let us know if you need anything and don't hesitate to call." Angela turned away before Brennan could apologize. She heard the door close moments later and had the house to herself.

…

Brennan moved her set up to the living room. She faced out towards the beach, hoping that the scene might spark an idea. Her ankle was still very swollen so she had it propped up with ice. Her laptop was propped open on her lap, but the only thing she accomplished was changing her cursor to a dinosaur to inspire her. Instead she had a laugh, before staring off into space.

After not starting anything she instead turned herself to the television and laid down on the couch. She ignored the cartoons and infomercials and found herself watching a movie about a man fighting injustice in a corrupt city. At first she thought it was about a man that turned into an actual bat, but was happy to see that he simply portrayed one. As the movie was finishing, she heard the front door open and she quickly turned the TV off, pretending that she was at least trying to get some work done.

She rolled over and peeked over the arm rest to see Booth walk into the house, a scowl painted onto his face. She sat up, and hobbled to see him in the kitchen, downing a bottle of water.

"Why are you back Booth?" she asked when he stopped drinking.

"Because I felt like it." He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he just threw the bottle into the recycling bin and stormed off down the hallway. Brennan stood there confused, but decided to leave it be. It was already twelve so Brennan decided to make a sandwich.

She was in the process of taking the materials out of the refrigerator when Booth returned; he had changed from his swim trunks to a pair of cargo shorts and decided to forgo a shirt. Booth must have noticed her staring because he glared at her.

"Got a problem?" he asked in a nasty tone. Brennan looked at him with disgust.

"Look, I don't know what your problem is, but I'm not really caring for it. If you are going to act like an ass, please do me a favor and stay away. This place is big enough for the both of us."

"Yeah Bones. Trust me, I'll be out of your way." When she went to make her sandwich, Booth was back in the kitchen, rooting through a plastic bag on the counter. He pulled out an orange prescription bottle and popped two of the pills. She tried to inch closer to see what it was for, but Booth thrust the bottle into his pocket and walked to the living room.

Brennan finished her sandwich and limped her way back to the living room where Booth had taken residence on the couch opposite where she was. He had the TV turned to Scooby-Doo.

"I loved this show when I was younger," she commented after taking a bite of her sandwich.

Booth rolled over so that he could face her. "Really? I always thought that you would be one to blow off television altogether. You know, head in a book kinda thing."

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "Russ and I would sit in front of the TV watching cartoons for hours. Dad would get mad, always telling us that we should be reading. But there was always something about Freddie."

"Freddie? Really? I thought that you'd like Velma."

"No. Actually I thought she was too…" her sentence trailed off. Booth gave her an expectant look. "I thought she was a nerd."

Booth cracked the first smile that she had seen all weekend. "Oh that's funny." Brennan threw a pillow at him.

…

It was late afternoon when the others returned from the beach, chased by menacing thunderhead clouds that came from the south. Brennan and Booth spent the afternoon watching a Scooby-Doo marathon. Brennan watched Booth closely; she knew there was something up with him and his agitated behavior. He fell asleep at one point and seemed troubled even in his sleep. She resisted asking him though, opting to corner him when the other couldn't appear.

Hodgins and Zack rode into town to pick up lobsters for dinner. Booth and Hodgins cooked them while everyone else played cards in the living room. As Parker told Zack to go fish again, Brennan took it as a chance to ask her friend a question.

"You don't think there is anything wrong with Booth, do you?"

"No. I mean he's crabby but that could just be tiredness or stress. Why?"

Brennan thought about telling Angela about the pills, but decided not to. "No reason. I was just looking for a second opinion." Angela looked at her as if she knew there was something else, but didn't go further. Booth called for dinner moments later and everyone filled to the dining room.

They were short one chair so Parker sat on Booth's lap as they enjoyed lobster and baked potatoes. Angela and Brennan were talking about a movie that Angela wanted to see once they returned to DC. Brennan's attention, however, was divided as she watched Parker recount all the activities of the afternoon to Booth. He seemed happier, though not by much.

Following dinner they watched _Finding Nemo_ together. Brennan found herself mildly interested in a movie for the second time that day. He carried him to Brennan's room, promising to move him later on. Brennan didn't mind however. While Booth put Parker to bed, Hodgins went to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of vodka.

"Anyone up for a game?"

…

"Never have I ever slept with someone who's name I didn't know," slurred Zack as he struggled to stay sitting up.

Hodgins, Angela, and Brennan all took shots. Booth, who wasn't drinking, gave Brennan a questioning look. "What?" she replied. "College was a hell of a place."

Angela giggled loudly and slapped her hand on the table. "Never have I ever lied to my best friend." The table got quiet and no one took a drink. Angela looked to Brennan as if she expected her to drink. Brennan would have been offended had Booth not stormed out to the porch at the same time Zack passed out on the floor.


	6. Chapter 6

**Well this is almost finished. I can't find my notes for this one so I'm flying blind on what I was steering towards last year. So I tried my best. If something needs to be fixed, or seems utterly ridiculous, please let me know and I'll try to fix this.**

**I made up a story for Booth, It most certainly isn't real and could be inaccurate, but hey what fun is it knowing everything about him, eh?**

**Chapter 6**

Angela and Hodgins worked together to carry Zack off to his bedroom. When they cleared the room, Brennan hobbled to the porch where she thought Booth was. She was surprised to see that he was out on the beach, near the dark water. She was lucky that the clouds had cleared and the near full moon was able to light the beach. Walking in the sand proved to be a bigger challenge, but she was able to make it to Booth's position. He didn't even turn his head when she stepped up beside him, instead keeping his distant gaze focused on some point past the horizon.

They stood like that for a few minutes taking in the salty air and the cool breeze. Finally, Booth made a sound that sounded like something between a cough and sigh. He sat down in the sand, or more collapsed, thought Brennan, judging on the way that he fell. She quickly sat beside him in the sand and reached for his hand.

"I'm really sorry for the way that I've treated you and everyone else this weekend. I… I originally didn't want to go on the trip, but I had Parker. I thought that being away from work would be a good change for this coming week, but the lack of distraction has made it worse. I… it hasn't been this bad in years."

Brennan chewed her lips, contemplating on whether she should ask him to elaborate. Instead, he went on. "Ten years ago, a few months before I lost Teddy, I was on a black ops mission. It was me, a spotter, and another commando deep within enemy territory. Our mission was to take out a mercenary leader that was terrorizing villages in Eastern Europe. They would rape women and children and kill for fun all to get valuable objects and food. It was disgusting what these guys would do. One night we were watching a village from a spot on a ridgeline. We received the news that our target was going to move in on the village the next day and that we were to put ourselves in a position to take this man out and his top two guys."

Booth sucked in a sharp breath and wiped his eyes; Brennan realized that tears were streaming down his face. She was surprised that his voice didn't betray his emotions. "Well the bad guy entered the village the day earlier. I wanted to take out the guy then, but we would have been seen. Our commanding officer was scouting the village on the opposite side and was out of radio contact. It was up to me to take the shot. I thought that we could do it and I wanted to just stop the mad man. I was about to take the shot when a few shots were fired on the other side of the village. My commanding officer was captured and brought to the village. Before I could move to get a clear shot, they had already beat him up and shot him in the back of the head. Enraged, I acted with my heart and shot at the man. His team wasn't stupid though and knew that there would be others. Within minutes, before me and my spotter could escape we were caught. I watched them torture my spotter, Tommy Richards. As he cried for his mother and wife with blood pouring from his face, they shot him in the back of the head."

He was crying now and Brennan pulled him closer, squeezing him as his body shook. She wasn't surprised to find that she too was crying. "They… they beat me for days. Thought that maybe they could get ransom or money or something for me. Instead I was rescued by a NATO team in the area when I didn't arrive at the evac area. I recovered and went back in trying to get back at the jerk. I got him, but lost Teddy at the same time. After that I was done. I couldn't stand to lose anyone else. I left the Army and came here." He sniffled a few times and swiped at his eyes.

"But every year at this time, it's like my body knows that it's that time, when I was getting beat up. Everything hurts and I feel like I'm going to fall apart. I started taking some medication a couple years ago that helps calm me down, but it still happens."

Brennan had no clue what to say; she didn't know much about his time as a sniper, nor all the people he lost or even killed. She was truly at a loss of words. Instead she held him tighter as the waves crashed on the beach. Eventually she found her voice. "I'm sorry for everything that happened to you Booth. I know you don't tell many people about your service, but thanks for sharing it. You shouldn't have to feel that pain by yourself."

"Yeah Bones, but you shouldn't either. You didn't do anything to have to hear that story."

"I'm your friend Booth. Friends should share things, to understand them, to trust them." Booth gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. They sat in silence to soak in the landscape before them, the moonlit waves crashing into the shore. Finally Booth stood and offered his hand to her.

"Come on Bones, before people wonder where we've been."

…

The house was quiet; after Booth ran off and Zack was put to bed it seemed that Angela and Hodgins did as well. Brennan had gone to the bathroom when they got back. She passed her makeshift bedroom on the way and found Booth standing in the doorway, a smile on his face as he looked at his son.

"Booth, he can sleep there tonight," she whispered to him. "I don't sleep well with the ankle anyway. You guys can take the bed tonight."

Booth shook his head. "I'm not tired right now." He nodded his head towards the living room. "Come on. Let's go see if Scooby-Doo is still on."

…

It was late and the Scooby-Doo marathon was far over. The show on the television didn't appeal to Brennan at all. It didn't matter though, for her attention was on the man sleeping on the couch across from her. Booth had fallen asleep first, not long after the last Scooby-Doo episode had ended. His sleep was not fitful though and he spent more than half the time rolling over with a pained look on his face.

It hurt Brennan to watch him like that. It wasn't because of pity though, but because of understanding. She remembered the sleepless nights wondering where her parents had gone when she was a teenager, to the nights when she remembered the horrors of her trips to Central America. She knew what he needed; it was the one thing that she never allowed herself to have. She stood and hobbled to Booth. She sat on the edge of his couch, just near his waist. Brennan shook his shoulder gingerly, careful not to jolt him awake.

"Booth," she whispered lightly. His eyes opened first, then he inhaled quickly as he sat up quickly. Brennan was prepared and had her arm out to stop the motion lest they headbutt each other.

"Bones, are you okay?" he asked quickly. His head turned so fast to check the room; Brennan thought his head was on a swivel.

"Shh," she said soothingly and pushed him back down. "You were having a bad dream."

He wiped his eyes and pushed himself into sitting position. "I'm sorry. Was I keeping you up?"

"No. I just… I just know the feeling." She pushed him back down on the couch. "Roll over towards the edge." Lucky for her, the couches were comfortably roomy and there was enough room that she could lay beside him. She didn't know what compelled her to do so. It was only that she kept thinking that it was the one thing she had wanted at the time. She took the throw blanket that was laying on the top of the couch and draped it over them. She snuggled up against him, comfortably warm inside and out.

"Bones, what are you doing?" Booth finally asked when she started to stroke his hair.

"Is it bothering you?" she asked, her warm breath tickling his neck.

"No, keep going." They lay in silence for some time. In the distance was low rumbles of thunder and she could hear the wind pick up again outside.

"Booth?" she whispered. He was out cold though, asleep and not making a peep. Brennan smiled, glad that she was able to help him. She stopped stroking his hair, instead resting her hand on his arm. Yawning quietly, she found herself getting very sleepy very quickly.


End file.
